


From Whence the World Looks Black

by flying_crepes



Category: The Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly Black
Genre: Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, No Beta, Oneshot, Set before the start of the book, We Die Like Men, Young Ben Evans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flying_crepes/pseuds/flying_crepes
Summary: A cute little one-shot. Thirteen year-old Ben.Ben realizes he is in love with the horned boy after kissing someone else.
Relationships: Ben Evans/Severin (Darkest Part of the Forest)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	From Whence the World Looks Black

Ben leaned against the base of the coffin, shivering violently. Nothing was going to keep him away from his faerie boy. Not a blizzard, not Hazel’s insistence, not anyone. 

The cold permeated the thin cotton of his blue pajama pants. He’d had to sneak out of the bedroom window once Hazel went to sleep, snow be damned, and rely on memory and a flashlight to guide him to the clearing.  
Now he huddled into his coat, shielding himself from the biting wind.

“I kissed a boy today.” 

Ben had long ago made a habit of telling the horned boy about his day. It was therapeutic—it wasn’t like he was awake to judge him.

Besides, it was true. He _had_ kissed someone today.  


Riley Webb had invited him to study for their math test after school. With his big, dark eyes and curly hair like spilled ink, Ben was crushing hard.  
As soon as Ben finished the third problem, Riley had reached for his free hand. He’d pulled Ben towards him, to sit on his twin bed.

Two problems later, Riley’s long fingers had gently turned Ben’s jaw towards him. They were only inches apart; he could feel the other boy’s breath ghosting across his face.

“Is this okay?” He’d murmured. 

As Ben spoke Riley’s words to the horned boy, a stone of guilt dropped into the pit of his stomach. _Ridiculous_ , he thought. It wasn’t like the sleeping boy had laid a claim to him.

Still, a faint trace of shame lingered.

He didn’t even need to look to picture the horned boy’s face, all sharp angles and perfect slopes. Even if he could hear him, he was unlikely to care about the riveting life of a middle-schooler.

Even if said middle-schooler could feel the phantom touch of another on his lips.

“And then he kissed me.” 

This was also true. Riley had cupped his cheek with a warm hand, parting Ben’s lips with his own. Ben tangled his fingers in soft black hair.  
Something had stirred in his chest, like a key turning in a lock. He began to understand why Hazel liked kissing boys so much.

It was a lot better than kissing Charlotte Munks during spin the bottle. 

They’d continued to kiss, math forgotten, until Riley’s dad came home. Ben had bid him a good night, and left. No promise to come over later, no ask-out, no nothing.

He wondered what the horned boy would say about it. What would happen if he opened his eyes.

Ben stood up quickly. Shaky hands, cracked and red, brushed snow off where the boy’s face would be. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to the freezing glass, directly over his forehead.

“I’ll wait for you, you know.” Ben surprised himself with his words. They’d come out mournfully. Like the boy was already dead.

He did mean it. Riley was nice. The kiss was nice.

But the horned boy was better.

His numb hand slid off the coffin with the realization. Shoving it into his coat pocket, he trudged away to the edge of the clearing.

Emotion swirled a raging tempest in his chest. Normally, these visits grounded him. This time, though, it had set him ablaze. Without thinking, he stopped at the edge of the clearing.

There was something he needed to do. Something he needed to _say_.

“I love you!” It burst out of him, carried away by the wind. The horned boy gave no signs of hearing him, but then again, he never did.

Ben felt calmer. Tranquil, even.

Because this was also true.

**Author's Note:**

> Take a shot every time it says ‘kiss’.


End file.
